GENERAL INFORMATION
The trip is 5 nights in duration. Three days are spent island hopping around the San Blas Islands and two days (30-50 hours) on the open sea crossing. The length of the trip and the islands you visit will depend on weather and sea conditions being experienced or forecast. The route taken will be chosen by the Captain for its suitability to maintain comfort and safety
We want to remind you as prospective passengers that when traveling by sailboat you need to be flexible.
The ocean and wind are unpredictable and captains reserve the right to change the departure date, route or final destination if deemed necessary.
Inclement weather, currents or route changes may extend the ocean passage time. As such we recommend that you do not have any reservations, commitments or obligations within at least 48 hours of the scheduled time of arrival to the destination port.
GENERAL TERMS
These terms and conditions may be amended from time to time and apply to all of our services.
By accessing, browsing, using and/or completing a reservation with us you acknowledge and agree to have read, understood and agreed to the terms and conditions set out below.
CANCELLATION BY PASSENGER
If you need to cancel your trip for any reason you should notify us at the earliest possible opportunity.
The reservation deposit is non-refundable. However if we are able to replace your space aboard the boat with another passenger paying the same rate exceptions may be made. A refund will not be applicable if the reservation is filled by a third party agency where a commission is required to be paid or if a discount is applied to the replacement reservation.
If you need to change your trip to a later date, we can transfer the deposit up until two weeks before the date of your original booking.
CANCELLATION, DELAY OR ROUTE CHANGE BY OPERATOR
In very rare cases your trip may need to be cancelled or delayed in advance owing to events including but not limited to; mechanical failure, sickness or unavailability of crew, unsafe sailing conditions, local protest/industrial action, government department closure (Immigration or Port Authority). No costs incurred by you including meals and or accommodation are the responsibility of the operator.
Any prepaid deposits will not be refunded in the case of civil disobedience, government action or force majeure. In these cases a transfer to another departure date will be offered instead.
A delay to departure of up to 72hours does not constitute grounds for the refund of deposits.
Trips cancelled or with departure delayed for more than 72 hours will be eligible for the refund of deposits and all monies paid for the trip by way of a credit note which may be used towards a future trip within 3 years of the original date of departure.
If the trip is underway though the yacht does not reach the scheduled destination whether due to though not limited to; inclement weather and sea conditions, mechanical problems, local protest/industrial action, government department closure (Immigration or Port Authority) or any reason whatsoever. Ave Maria Sailing will provide a contribution towards travel costs to reach the destination.
Should the duration of the tour extend beyond 5 nights for whatever reason whatsoever each guest agrees to pay $135 per additional night onboard.
INSURANCE
It is the responsibility of the passenger to have adequate travel insurance in place to cover unforeseeable losses including but not limited to; loss, theft or damage to personal property, medical or any costs arising from accident, illness or death whilst on board the boat or islands, any costs incurred due to a delay, route or destination change such as though not limited to; meals, accommodation, transport to scheduled destination, missed transport connections or accommodation reservations.
ASSUMED RISK & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Passengers are advised that all activities are undertaken entirely at their own risk and they must behave in a fit and proper manner at all times in accordance with the captain and crews guidelines and must take proper responsibility for their own safety. All adventure tours and outdoor activities carry inherent risks and Ave Maria Sailing or its partners do not assume any responsibility for accidents, loss injury or death.
You can bring your own alcoholic beverages. For safety reasons the captain may ask you to restrict the consumption of alcohol in any situation that is deemed unsafe.
If at any time during the trip you feel the actions of another person is unsafe, threatening or inappropriate it should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the captain. This includes actions of fellow passengers, crew and members of the public or other tourists on the island. We are unable to address incidents after the trip.
PASSPORT, VISA AND IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that You have a valid passport (and if applicable visa) with a sufficient validity period to allow entry and exit to all countries indicated on Your Booking(s).
You must contact the relevant embassy or consulate to ascertain the entry requirements for each individual country listed in Your Booking(s).
You are responsible for obtaining the correct documentation for entry into each destination country. We do not accept liability if you cannot travel and/or are delayed because of a failure to comply with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.
THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS
We may offer third party services such as transportation to or from the starting/end location of your trip. These services are operated by independent third party operators and passengers are free to make their own arrangements. Ave Maria Sailing will not be held responsible for any lost or damaged items or other incidents.
RIGHT TO REFUSE TRAVEL
In the reasonable exercise of our discretion, we may refuse to carry you or your luggage before or during your trip if one or more of the following have occurred or we reasonably believe may occur:
such action is necessary in order to comply with any applicable government laws, regulations, or orders including advise from authorities in the destination country that you immigration status may result in you being refused entry to the country;
the carriage of you and / or your luggage may endanger or affect the safety, health, or materially affect the comfort of other passengers or crew;
your mental or physical state, including your impairment from alcohol or drugs, presents or appears to present a hazard or risk to yourself, to passengers, to crew, to the boat or to property;
you have refused to submit to a security check for yourself or your luggage or, having submitted to such a check, you fail to provide satisfactory answers to security related questions from crew, law enforcement, or any other officials;
you do not appear to have valid or lawfully acquired travel documents, may seek to enter a country through which you may be in transit, or for which you do not have valid travel documents, destroy your travel documents during the trip or refuse to surrender your travel documents to the crew, when so requested;
you fail to observe or obstruct or hinder our instructions with respect to safety or security, whether prior to boarding or on board the yacht, or those of any ground staff or crew member in the performance of their duties or if your tamper or threaten to tamper with the yacht, its equipment or any part thereof;
you use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behave in a threatening, abusive or insulting manner towards crew, passengers or members of the public prior to or during the trip;
you fail to observe our instructions relating to safety, security or passenger comfort;
you fail, or refuse, to give us information in your possession or available to you which a governmental authority has lawfully asked us to provide about you;
you have previously committed one of the acts or omissions referred to above.
By undertaking the trip you agree to all of the conditions presented on this page, understand the implications and accept responsibility for your participation in your trip. Depending on the expedition, you may be requested to sign an additional liability release.
Sailing trip Panama to Colombia 